So disappointed

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They do make a couple of legit points, but it's the lack of post-sale communication that is the most frustrating.

If they're "pre-selling" goods they need to point out which species they have ready for sale and which will be delayed for legit reasons. It's a simple matter of updating a few lines on a website. That's not too much to ask.

Personally, I believe the last paragraph practically screams, "I don't really care and I don't need your business!" Dump them. There are so many dealers/breeders in this forum alone who value their customers and would be happy to serve you. They may not always have the species you want available at the time, but better wait for a healthy mantis from someone who cares rather than someone who feels they are doing you a favor. 

My opinion and I'm sticking to it. ?

 
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I know who this seller is, I would never buy or recommend buying from them. Try to get your money back asap, file a PayPal claim. There are excellent sellers out there, make sure to research very well before buying from anyone. Facebook mantis groups are less restrictive about discussions regarding sellers, you can ask for recommendations. Check the feedback on here too. Good luck ??.

 
Synapze said:
Personally, I believe the last paragraph practically screams, "I don't really care and I don't need your business!" Dump them. There are far too many dealers/breeders in this forum alone who value their customers and would be happy to serve you. They may not always have the species you want available at the time, but better wait for a healthy mantis from someone who cares rather than someone who feels they are doing you a favor. 
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Along with not finding this forum until after i purchased them, I also did not read the terms of use until after the purchase.  My fault I suppose.  I am still waiting them out bc I do want the ones I ordered.....hoping he lives up to the "i'm a reasonable guy" and would actually eventually send the order.  

 
@lovemymantisfriends Sadly, the mantids I ordered from this person arrived dead ?. I made the same mistake as you, I didn't do my research, I waited almost two months, and I got my package without a tracking number. I did this as a new mantis keeper, I was pretty devastated. I would highly recommend trying to get your money back asap. Reputable sellers contact you right away ?. 

 
crabbypatty said:
Sadly, the mantids I ordered from this person arrived dead ?. I made the same mistake as you, I didn't do my research, I waited almost two months, and I got my package without a tracking number. I did this as a new mantis keeper, I was pretty devastated. I would highly recommend trying to get your money back asap. Reputable sellers contact you right away ?. 
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Sorry to hear that! What came of it?  Did they replace...respond to you at all?

 
crabbypatty said:
@lovemymantisfriends Sadly, the mantids I ordered from this person arrived dead ?. I made the same mistake as you, I didn't do my research, I waited almost two months, and I got my package without a tracking number. I did this as a new mantis keeper, I was pretty devastated. I would highly recommend trying to get your money back asap. Reputable sellers contact you right away ?. 
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Two months to fill an order? That's nonsense.

If they were preselling they should inform you that your order is going to be delayed for that reason and let you decide if you want to wait or not...not make you wait first until you get worried & when you want a refund charge 20% and make you feel like it's your fault. They could solve the whole issue by simply taking pre-orders advertised as pre-orders, letting the person know well in advance that a particular species won't be shipping until at least X date.

lovemymantisfriends said:
Along with not finding this forum until after i purchased them, I also did not read the terms of use until after the purchase.  My fault I suppose.  I am still waiting them out bc I do want the ones I ordered.....hoping he lives up to the "i'm a reasonable guy" and would actually eventually send the order.  
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I know you didn't find the disclaimer right away...how easy is it to find?

I definitely wouldn't buy from someone who had those disclaimers on their website. While I agree that sometimes people who order can have unreasonable expectations, this is NOT the norm. Most people just want to be informed what is happening & when and are usually pretty agreeable. Spelling out terms is fine but there is no reason to address potential customers as if they are all idiots or troublemakers. That disclaimer just sounds so...arrogant. 

I believe PayPal will probably take your side anyway if you explain the lack of communication, vague promises to ship "soon" and basically what is a threat to take 20% off your refund if you "bother" him too much.

 
@Predatorhousepet @lovemymantisfriends I filed a claim with PayPal soon after the arrival but he claimed I had received my items and PayPal sided with him. Later I found tons of angry customers on his Facebook store site but he deleted and blocked people for negative feedback. He's been banned from several mantis groups too. He isn't known to be very kind to his customers. Sadly it's a mistake many new keepers make and it'll keep happening unfortunately. I googled "mantids for sale" and his site came up first. 

 
I personally agree with what everyone else has said, this man doesn’t deserve your business and it might be a good idea to try and for. The first sentence of the terms alone raises many red flags, and the lifelong ban seems redundant since I doubt anyone would buy from him twice anyway.

I’m sorry about your awful experience, but definitely leave your review here and help prevent more people falling for this trap! It might not be a completely lost cause, though. He could come through if you’re lucky.

 
@crabbypatty Unfortunately when there is a tracking number that shows the package as delivered PayPal will almost always side with the seller even if you didn't get what you ordered. There are some sellers on eBay who have found a way to take advantage of this loophole to scam people. They will take an order for an expensive item but ship literal trash or some other worthless item in it's place so there is a tracking number showing a successful delivery and they get to keep the money. Luckily both eBay & PayPal are now aware of the scam so a seller only gets so many chances to pull this...if it becomes a trend they start to catch on.

In his disclaimer he does promise to get your mantises to you alive so them arriving DOA and not being replaced is a breach of that promise. He shouldn't get to keep your money if you didn't get what you ordered but unfortunately things don't always work out fairly. I'm sorry that happened to you.

@lovemymantisfriends

Maybe you should attempt to get the refund from PayPal before the order is shipped but probably once you do the guy is not going to be cooperative if you have to work something out with him. It's a tough choice but I'm guessing you might eventually get your order if you wait it out...it just may take one or more additional months for that to happen.

It is unfortunate that so many new people come across his site first when looking to buy a mantis. It doesn't look like he paid for that #1 spot in the search so he got there the old fashioned way...with good meta tags and multiple search engine submissions, traffic probably keeps him there. The good news is that it is possible to make a website that could eventually take his website's place, maybe a site that posts reviews of various sellers along with any disclaimers or terms they have and include links to the breeder reviews in this forum. This wouldn't prevent everyone from doing business with him but making that information more accessible would surely help people to at least know what they might be getting into should they decide to. It would also help people find this forum faster. 

 
Predatorhousepet said:
crabbypatty Unfortunately when there is a tracking number that shows the package as delivered PayPal will almost always side with the seller even if you didn't get what you ordered. There are some sellers on eBay who have found a way to take advantage of this loophole to scam people. They will take an order for an expensive item but ship literal trash or some other worthless item in it's place so there is a tracking number showing a successful delivery and they get to keep the money. Luckily both eBay & PayPal are now aware of the scam so a seller only gets so many chances to pull this...if it becomes a trend they start to catch on.
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I wonder what would happen if you made a claim with your credit card instead of paypal.  

 
MantisGirl13 said:
I am so sorry that you ha a bad experience. Who is this seller?

- MantisGirl13
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The seller comes up first (after an Amazon ad) if you google "praying mantis for sale"...this is why so many new people stumble across him. His website is professional looking and uses all sorts of little marketing tricks to help reassure people this is a good place to buy from. 

I am seriously considering making that seller review website I talked about earlier. I don't know if I can get it to the #1 spot in the search but I can try. 

 
What is the site called? I don't know what I'm looking for... I just want to know so I can avoid him in the future.
- MantisGirl13

 
Predatorhousepet said:
I am seriously considering making that seller review website I talked about earlier. I don't know if I can get it to the #1 spot in the search but I can try. 
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I hope you can and I'm willing to help if needed.

I've read so many bad reviews left by people who simply became discouraged and some who just gave up out of frustration. Unfortunately, being #1 in search results gives many the impression that the 1st listing is the best and most relevant to their search.

I really hate seeing people new to mantids have such difficulties in acquiring their first specimen. I refuse to beg anyone for good customer service. I keep getting a little bit angry for what @lovemymantisfriends is being put through. ?

 
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Synapze said:
I really hate seeing people new to mantids have such difficulties in acquiring their first specimen. I refuse to beg anyone for good customer service. I keep getting a little bit angry for what @lovemymantisfriends is being put through. ?
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I feel the same: If you buy something the seller need to send what you bought. period. This is no fun at all. empty promisses and weeks go by and getting nothing.

 
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The suspected breeder has a long rap sheet of more of the same.

What species are you after?

?

 

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